Andy Hunter's match report
Liverpool were irresistible for the first hour here, and could have racked up any score they liked, with Philippe Coutinho particularly impressive as their entire front six played havoc with West Brom’s defence.
The visiting defence dug deep to keep the gap to two goals – and Liverpool were almost punished in dramatic fashion, Gareth McAuley grabbing a goal and West Brom applying late pressure as they chased an unlikely point. It wasn’t to be, but it took the shine off what had looked to be a memorable evening at Anfield.
Still, a win is a win. Thanks for joining me; we’ll have a match report online imminently. Bye!
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Full time! Liverpool 2-1 West Brom
Despite West Brom’s late rally, Liverpool win a game they should have put to bed a long time ago. Gareth McAuley’s late goal also means Liverpool miss out on topping the table. It’s party time, Arsenal fans.
93 mins: Liverpool break, and Wijnaldum goes for the far corner from 25 yards – and misses by a whisker!
92 mins: Liverpool have 11 men behind the ball. What a weird game this has been. Foster’s long ball evades all of them, and Robson-Kanu is this close to latching onto it through the middle.
91 mins: Origi is replacing Mané, who opened the scoring and was an all-round menace to the West Brom defence. West Brom are still fighting, and Dawson’s deep cross is headed on by Rondón towards Nyom – but the left-back, in acres of space, is just offside.
89 mins: Brunt, Rondón and Robson-Kanu get forward, but Rondón can’t get Brunt’s pass under control. There will be three added minutes, with Divock Origi about to come on.
88 mins: Henderson has been booked for dissent and, like fellow pottymouth Claudio Yacob, will serve a one-game suspension.
86 mins: Brunt’s free kick is half-cleared, before Robson-Kanu sees his snap shot cleared away. Morrison has picked up a booking for a shirt pull on Coutinho, who is coming off, replaced by Lucas. How has it come to this?
85 mins: Coutinho gets on the ball, shimmies forward, and fires a shot straight at Foster. That’s a third shot on target since they conceded, but they are still just one goal ahead – and West Brom have a free kick...
83 mins: Two chances in quick succession for Roberto Firmino – first, he drills a shot straight at Foster. Then, after lovely approach play from Mané and Wijnaldum, sees his shot from an angle saved well by Foster.
81 mins: The corner, won thanks to Karius’ tentative run off his line, is swung in by Brunt. McAuley climbs, but can’t get a clean header. No matter, as the ball drops back into his path, and he rifles it into the net! Anfield is stunned.
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GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 West Brom (McAuley)
Good grief. West Brom are back in this!
80 mins: West Brom break from the corner, as Olsson grapples with Matip, but goes unpunished. Are we not bothering with those any more? Anyway, Robson-Kanu wins a free kick on the right, which McAuley almost heads in off Karius’ back. Instead, it’s a corner...
77 mins: Lallana and Henderson conduct a lengthy passing move, resulting in a corner as Firmino is closed down on the left. That is Lallana’s last contribution; he’s replaced by Gini Wijnaldum.
75 mins: Liverpool sitting a little deeper, making sure they don’t present cheap chances to West Brom. Tony Pulis’ changes have made a slight difference; still nothing from the Liverpool bench.
73 mins: West Brom go forward again, with Robson-Kanu waiting after Rondón can’t keep hold of the ball. He tees up Morrison, whose looping shot looks close to the top corner in real time. In the replay, not so much.
72 mins: Chadli’s effort was West Brom’s first of the match; Liverpool have had 16, and 72% of possession. Robson-Kanu’s presence has at least given the Liverpool defence something to think about, beyond keeping half an eye on Salomón Rondón.
71 mins: Danny Sturridge is warming up.
69 mins: Olsson and McAuley have defended heroically in the second half, and somehow, West Brom are still only a goal away from making this awkward for Liverpool. They get a corner and it falls to Chadli, in space, but his improvised shot pings wide of Karius’ far post.
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67 mins: Glenn Hoddle reckons that if Liverpool can do this “against the Arsenals and Chelseas,” they’ll be title challengers. Perhaps he’s been on holiday since August.
66 mins: Milner finds Coutinho in space with an excellent diagonal ball from deep in his own half. Coutinho cuts inside and rolls the ball across goal to Can – but Olsson blocks a certain goal!
65 mins: These two sides have such wildly contrasting approaches, it’s like they’re playing different sports.
63 mins: Nyom, already longing for the final whistle, concedes a free kick on the right. It’s swung in, but after a spell of pinball, West Brom clear it away. Hal Robson-Kanu is coming on for West Brom, in place of McClean.
61 mins: Firmino cuts the ball back to Lallana, whose touch towards Coutinho forces him to break stride and the ball is cleared – only as far as Can, who curls a speculative effort high and wide.
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60 mins: Neil Swarbrick has a second look after Firmino tussles with Nyom in the area – but awards a corner. From it, West Brom break, but Chadli runs out of options in the Liverpool half, and is closed down despite a defiant, mazy run through a forest of red shirts.
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58 mins: James McClean concedes a cheap free-kick, and is booked. Coutinho lofts the ball towards Matip and Lovren, whose header looks in all the way – but Ben Foster claws it out! That’s an excellent save.
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56 mins: Brunt collects a long ball down the right and hammers in a cross, but it’s cleared, and Coutinho steals the ball. Mané breaks down the right, waits patiently, then tees up Firmino, whose angled effort is blocked by McAuley. It’s no wonder the visitors don’t want to go forward.
54 mins: Firmino makes McAuley look daft, drawing him to the right-hand touchline and turning on the spot. McAuley shoves him over, but Milner’s free kick is overhit.
53 mins: Foster trots out to the halfway line to take a free-kick, with West Brom piling bodies forward. Liverpool win the ball and break, Firmino and Lallana linking up before Coutinho’s cross is cleared by McAuley.
51 mins: Another West Brom change, with James Morrison on for Matt Phillips, who will be seeing James Milner tear past him in his dreams tonight.
49 mins: Clyne is given far too much space by Nyom, and his low cross prompts a hurried clearance from McAuley. I can’t recall a Liverpool cross that wasn’t drilled along the ground; it makes sense, given West Brom’s height advantage.
48 mins: West Brom look happy to hang on to a 2-0 defeat. Rondón is stationed in the centre circle.
47 mins: Mané, who has emerged for the second half despite that knock, finds Coutinho with a threaded pass, but the Brazilian sees his shot blocked.
46 mins: Firmino breaks forward, but is flagged offside.
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Peep!
A change at half-time for West Brom: Walking red card Claudio Yacob is replaced by Chris Brunt. He will slot in alongside Darren Fletcher.
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“Ah, Liverpool. Don’t tease me with top-of-the-table shenanigans. I’m barely over the last time...” says Matt Dony.
Try and enjoy the moment, Matt. I know it doesn’t really work like that...
Philippe Coutinho has Mark Turner all hot and bothered:
It could be because he’s still only 24 and was set to improve anyway, it could be Klopp coming into his life, my guess is that it’s a combo of the two. He was always a class act, but now Coutinho is moving into the rarefied group of players that are genuinely world class. He’s got everything, a pleasure to watch.
Worth remembering that Liverpool paid a princely £8.5m for him, or if you prefer, two Allan Nyoms.
Half time: Liverpool 2-0 West Brom
Sadio Mané and the marvellous Philippe Coutinho on the scoresheet, and it’s all going to plan for Jürgen Klopp so far.
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45 mins: Mané stays down, and is still moving a little gingerly. That would be about the only negative from this first half. One minute of added time.
43 mins: West Brom hand the ball to Coutinho again, but this time the move breaks down. Mané is bundled by Olsson as McClean plays another wayward pass. West Brom have been surprisingly ragged in this first half.
41 mins: Lallana goes long with a sweeping diagonal pass, but Firmino can’t get it under control along the byline. Can, a muscular presence for the hosts, draws a clumsy foul from Fletcher. Yacob, as predicted by JR earlier, gets a yellow card for arguing the decision with excessive gusto.
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39 mins: Liverpool are in total control of this game. As it stands, they’re also top of the league.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 9 | 10 | 20 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 9 | 10 | 20 |
| 3 | Man City | 8 | 11 | 19 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 | 9 | 19 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 8 | 6 | 16 |
37 mins: Liverpool enjoying themselves now, Firmino flicking the ball into Clyne’s path, but the full back fires wide after bursting into the box.
35 mins: Foster hoofs an awkward back-pass high into the air, Mané brings it down and picks out Coutinho, who cuts into the area, sends Dawson and McAuley off towards Goodison Park with a feint, and drills the ball inside Foster’s near post.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 West Brom (Coutinho)
A second for Liverpool, stemming from a defensive error, but taken brilliantly by Philippe Coutinho.
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34 mins: A quiet spell, the serenity at Anfield broken only by Tony Pulis bellowing at his players.
32 mins: Liverpool’s full-backs have the freedom of either flank, and Milner chugs all the way to the byline, before zipping in a cross that Foster collects.
31 mins: Liverpool have eased off the gas, and West Brom inch upfield – but Yacob oafishly gifts the ball to Lallana. He exchanges passes with Can, then fires an ambitious effort wide from a narrow angle.
30 mins: West Brom are yet to test Loris Karius, but they force a throw-in close to the corner flag. Chadli lifts the ball to McClean, but his touch, neither pass nor shot, bounces through to the Liverpool keeper.
28 mins: Liverpool need one more goal to go top of the league. I think they might get it.
26 mins: From the free kick, Liverpool switch the play out to the right, where Clyne bursts past his marker and drives a low ball right across goal, and inches from Firmino’s outstretched boot.
25 mins: Coutinho and Lallana are starting to rile West Brom with their silky skills – Coutinho finds his team-mate with a flick along the touchline, and Fletcher boots Lallana out of touch.
23 mins: Coutinho attempts a flick through to Emre Can, who finds himself at the apex of Liverpool’s endlessly rotating attack. He is a little slow off the mark, and Foster beats him to the ball.
21 mins: West Brom have now conceded two first-half goals this season. It could develop into a long 90 minutes unless they can get a foothold further up the pitch.
Coutinho sparks the move with a dummy in midfield, creating space for Can. He feeds Firmino on the left, whose lofted cross finds Mané in space. He has time to take a touch, but opts to volley it straight in the far corner. West Brom torn to shreds.
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GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 West Brom (Mané)
Liverpool take the lead with a spectacular team goal...
19 mins: West Brom win a free kick on the halfway line, allowing Jonas Olsson the chance to wang a long ball towards Dawson – but it drifts all the way out for a goal kick.
17 mins: A first half-chance for Liverpool, with James Milner charging in from the left and heading a looping cross over the bar.
15 mins: Mané, already locked in battle with Nyom, finds a pocket of space, but can’t pick out a red shirt with his cross – there are only two in the area.
13 mins: ...but Chadli steals possession, and slides a through ball to Phillips. Rondón is unmarked in the middle, but Lovren does just enough to snuff out the attempted cross. A warning for Liverpool, there.
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12 mins: Every West Brom player inside their own half as Liverpool look for an opening. Darren Fletcher and Claudio Yacob, with Nacer Chadli just in front of them, are a formidable midfield unit, and Liverpool are patiently playing around them...
10 mins: A leisurely opening 10 minutes ends with McClean tussling with Clyne, and giving away a free kick.
8 mins: West Brom push forward for the first time, with Dawson given two bites at getting a cross in from the right. McClean joins Rondón in the penalty area, but Dawson’s ball in bypasses them both.
6 mins: Firmino threads the ball between Chadli and Phillips, but neither Mané nor Coutinho read his intentions, and the ball rolls through to Foster.
5 mins: Chadli wins the ball and tries to send Rondón clear on the break, but West Brom’s No9 is offside.
On the subject of squad numbers, West Brom striker Hal Robson-Kanu wears No4. Unacceptable.
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3 mins: Coutinho finds himself in space 25 yards out, but hits a low cross-shot that thwacks into the hoardings.
2 mins: Liverpool have started the game with purpose, Coutinho and Lallana combining before the England man fires a low cross that’s cleared – but only to Mané, who takes on Nyom. The pair tangle in the area, but the assistant gives a free kick to West Brom.
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Peep!
Neil Swarbrick, who refereed Peterborough v Northampton in midweek, is back on the big stage to get us under way.
A bit of news while we wait for kick-off: Steven Gerrard looks set to leave LA Galaxy, possibly to return to Liverpool. All speculation at this point, but surely a coaching role, rather than at the heart of Klopp’s high-energy midfield, is the likely bet.
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“You didn’t specify what we West Brom fans might be confident about,” says JR in Illinois.
“I’m confident Ben Foster will lead the way in time-wasting. I’ll guess 27 seconds per free kick. Also certain that McClean is going to put a hurting on someone, most likely Coutinho. And I’m pretty confident Yacob will be getting his fifth yellow card of the season. My prediction? Pain.”
Pre-match chat with both managers. First, Jürgen Klopp:
“A sign of the quality in the squad is that Grujic, Stewart and Ings are all not involved. Gini [Wijnaldum] trained, but was not quite ready.” On the Pulis beef last season. “Is it too late to say sorry? Last year, I forgot the handshake, I didn’t deny it... but all is good as far as I’m concerned.”
Second, Tony Pulis: “Against the big teams, you need a bit of good fortune and for everyone to play to their maximum. To come to Anfield is a great honour and a great privilege. We have to forget that when the game starts, though.”
Here’s a picture of Klopp ‘forgetting’ the handshake last season:
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Jürgen Klopp and Tony Pulis have both arrived at Anfield for the game. They have contrasting styles and a lively history, but the real question is this: who pulls off the cap/glasses combo better?
Premier League results
Arsenal 0-0 Middlesbrough (oh Arsenal!)
Burnley 2-1 Everton (oh Everton!)
Hull 0-2 Stoke
Leicester 3-1 Crystal Palace
Swansea 0-0 Watford
West Ham 1-0 Sunderland
Arsenal go top in underwhelming fashion, but Liverpool can take top spot with a 2-0 win, ahead of Manchester City’s game with Southampton on Sunday.
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Prediction time! Any West Brom fans feeling quietly confident? Quiet confidence is understandable; but any more than that would be foolish. After my top-notch Spurs prediction earlier, I’m going for a 1-0 Liverpool win (Lallana, 75).
Liverpool will want a flying start tonight, but recent results suggest that’s unlikely. The last player to score against West Brom inside 45 minutes was (at the time) a Liverpool player – Jordon Ibe, on the final day of last season. Since then, only Kevin Mirallas – in stoppage time – has beaten the Baggies defence before the break.
Premier League latest:
Arsenal 0-0 Middlesbrough
Burnley 1-1 Everton
Hull 0-2 Stoke
Leicester 3-0 Crystal Palace
Swansea 0-0 Watford
West Ham 0-0 Sunderland
Follow any late drama with Ben Fisher here. If it stays goalless at the Emirates, Liverpool can go top of the league with victory by two clear goals – but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
One unsurprising change for Liverpool, with Adam Lallana returning in place of Daniel Sturridge, who was ineffectual against United. That means Roberto Firmino will shuffle back to the centre of a front three. Gini Wijnaldum is back, but only on the bench with Emre Can keeping his midfield place. Just one change for West Brom, with Jonas Olsson replacing the injured Jonny Evans in central defence.
The #LFC matchday squad for today's meeting with @WBA in full #LIVWBA pic.twitter.com/NNdshX9sdl
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 22, 2016
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The teams
Liverpool: Karius; Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner; Can, Henderson, Lallana; Mané, Firmino, Coutinho.
Subs: Wijnaldum, Sturridge, Klavan, Moreno, Lucas, Mignolet, Origi.
West Brom: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Nyom; Fletcher, Yacob; Phillips, Chadli, McClean; Rondón.
Subs: Robson-Kanu, Morrison, Gardner, Brunt, Myhill, Galloway, Leko.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
Preamble
They go again. Liverpool’s free-flowing title charge may have become mired in quicksand on Monday night, but just five days later, there is a chance for Jürgen Klopp, his players, and the rest of us to move forward, and forget that fiasco ever happened.
Liverpool are back under the lights at Anfield, with West Brom tonight’s doughty, defensive opposition. There’s just one problem: The Baggies have a surprisingly good recent record at Anfield, losing just once in their last five visits and winning here under Liverpool alumni Roy Hodgson(!) in 2012, and Steve Clarke in 2013.
Last season they earned a point in a game so dramatic it caused Klopp to take leave of his senses after Divock Origi’s late, late equaliser. It’s not just West Brom’s players that enjoy trips to Anfield; Tony Pulis hasn’t lost a match here since 2011, and traded barbs with Klopp during and after last year’s 2-2 draw.
Kick-off is at 5.30pm BST; expect fireworks, one way or another.
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